Every location in Steel Magnolias’ Chinquapin Parish played a pivotal role in the movie as it helped create a sense of community.
The location of the 1989 tearjerker Steel Magnolias helps create a sense of community and family as the movie shows the effect Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie’s (Julia Roberts) death had on the small town. Steel Magnolias is adapted from the 1987 play by Robert Harling about his sister, who passed away from diabetes (via The Atlantic). Set in Chinquapin Parish, Louisiana, the film features a beauty salon, a large house, and the church where Shelby marries Jackson Latcherie (Dylan McDermott). The film starred Sally Field as Shelby’s mother, M’Lynn, and Olympia Dukakis, Daryl Hannah, and Dolly Parton as her friends, Clairee Belcher, Annelle Dupuy Desoto, and Truvy Jones.Before Julia Roberts guest-starred on Friends, she appeared in several notable ’80s and ’90s movies, including Mystic Pizza, Sleeping With The Enemy, and Pretty Women. Steel Magnolias was one of her more serious roles and showed her acting talent. The characters cherish the fact that they know their neighbors very well and a charming town is necessary for the movie’s heartfelt tone. When wondering where was Steel Magnolias filmed, the real town in the South creates a flawless setting for the emotional moments in the film and the way that the characters accept Shelby’s tragic fate and feel grateful for knowing her.
Steel Magnolias Was Filmed in Natchitoches, Louisiana And A House Was The Main Setting
Split image of the house in Steel Magnolias
The main setting of Steel Magnolias is Shelby’s mother, M’Lynn Eatenton Field house, which is where the two characters have spent the majority of their lives and is located at 320 Jefferson Street in Natchitoches, Louisiana. It has an idyllic front porch, a parlor with an old-fashioned fireplace, and a beautiful chandelier, pool, and guest room named after Shelby. The house is significant as Shelby leaves home to live with her husband Jackson (played by Dylan McDermott, known for American Horror Story, a much darker role). Before becoming a bed and breakfast, the 5,900-square-foot home was called the Cook-Taylor house because Henry Cook Taylor owned it (via SteelMagnoliaHouse.net).This house is also the setting for Shelby and Jackson’s wedding reception and the family gets ready for the big day here. While the celebration of a marriage is always a moving scene in a film, the Steel Magnolias family wedding scene is also emotional as Shelby has Type 1 diabetes and is told she can’t conceive biological children. She goes into kidney failure after becoming pregnant and giving birth later on. In hindsight, the wedding is tragic to look back on, knowing that Shelby and Jackson will not be together much longer. Shelby’s motto is, “I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.”If Steel Magnolia’s iconic family wedding reception was filmed elsewhere, it wouldn’t feel as special or sweet. Since Shelby is so close to her mother and the people in her town, it makes sense that she would want to mark this milestone in her life at a place where she feels safe and loved. The Steel Magnolias house is a perfect filming location since there are so many unknowns in her life regarding whether she can have a baby, and she is comforted by this familiar place and all of the people she has ever known surrounding her with love and support.
While some movies are filmed in Canada, Steel Magnolias is shot in the same place where it takes place, which makes it look authentic. The movie’s theme is that it is possible to feel hopeful after the death of a loved one and to move on with life after loss. The film concludes with Annelle having a baby, which signals that the characters will look to the future despite the pain that they are feeling. There is a sense of hope and peace in this final scene, and the fact that the town is so small and the characters have all known each other for their entire lives adds a sense of comfort to the story.
When it comes to where was Steel Magnolias filmed, the small town of Natchitoches is the perfect place for the main characters to experience the highs and lows of life, from milestones like weddings and the birth of babies to smaller moments like daily get-togethers and conversations between friends. The cast’s emotional performances, including Dolly Parton’s notable role, prove that Chinquapin Parish is the kind of place where everyone knows each other and there are no secrets. This small-town location and tight-knit community is what enable M’Lynn to find the strength to move forward after her daughter’s death. M’Lynn feels grateful to live somewhere where she is supported.
